Anyone with an interest in Japan should learn a little Japanese. Travelers need to know a few survival phrases; correct expressions for greetings, daily shopping, asking direction and suchlike. When you know few key phrases the daily life is easier and more pleasant.

If you start studying Japanese language before traveling to Japan, you are steps ahead because with learning the language you learn about the culture as well. 
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Japan has number of abandoned or vacant homes, known as "Akiya - 空き家", that has been increasing steadily since late 1970s. It’s a problem that’s set to persist because of an aging and shrinking population that has left many towns and villages empty.

By 2013, vacant homes accounted for 13.52% of total housing and there were calculated to be 8.196 million abandoned houses nationwide, according to latest data by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Some people may wonder what the meaning of Muslim Friendly is! What does it mean to be a Muslim Friendly restaurant or hotel?

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What are the Muslim Friendly Standards and how they differ from Halal Standards? Which organization has initiated and set-up these standards?

How come some restaurants are said to be Muslim Friendly, but they serve alcoholic drinks as well as pork products, and there are many of them. 

The history of Islam in Japan is relatively brief in relation to the religion's longstanding presence in other nearby countries. 

Today however, Muslims in Japan are well established, numbering somewhere between 100,000 to 300,000 - with approximately 10% being native. Additionally, there are about 100 established Mosques and Musallahs. Outside of Japan, Muslim countries heavily trade with the country, with bilateral trade standing at some $300 billion dollars; larger even than Japan's trade with the United States.

Islam in Japan has over 3 centuries worth of history, with the earliest Muslim settlers believed to have worked in the cities of Yokohama and Kobe during the reign of the Meiji.
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​In spite of constant invitation of foreigners to participate in Japan’s economy we hear about structural impediments of Japanese market. 

People want to figure out why is this place so hard to crack; they ask how come – We have been knocking on the door! We’re doing all of the things that the Japanese say we should do! We set up shop here! We hire people! We invest money and it just doesn’t seem to work!
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